Ontario forest firefighters call for new job classification, better pay

The union representing Ontario’s forest firefighters wants their job titles reclassified, which they say could result in higher pay and bolster recruitment and retention among their ranks.

Noah Freedman, a fire crew leader and the vice-president of OPSEU Local 703, says the province currently classifies forest firefighters as resource technicians.

He says that role does not properly recognize the dangerous work forest firefighters do, the time away from their families nor allow them to recruit and train young firefighters for the long term.

“If the government were to reclassify us as wildland firefighters, then we would be compensated appropriately for the dangers we face and toxins we breathe and the sacrifices we make,” he said.

The starting pay for resource technicians in Ontario is currently $25 an hour.

Freedman says a reclassification is sorely needed.

“Ontario is short almost 25 per cent of its wildland firefighters because of a retention crisis that’s been ongoing for years,” he said.

The province, however, says it has hired about 600 forest firefighters this year, although it has the budget to hire up to 800 people, and maintains that is satisfied with the recruitment efforts this year.

NDP MPP Guy Bourgouin has also been calling for the provincial government to reclassify its forest firefighters.

“If we are going to attract people and keep them in the forest fire employment we need to pay them more adequately and recognize the word  they do,” he said.

“Because this is not easy work.”

Review underway

In an email to CBC News Caroline Mulroney, the president of the Treasury Board, said an organizational review of firefighting classification by the Ontario Public Service is currently underway, and it “would be inappropriate to comment further.” No timeline for the review was provided.

Legislation to improve the health and occupational safety benefits for Ontario forest firefighters reached second reading in May and has been referred to the standing committee.

Freedman says better health benefits are a good start, but it’s really higher pay that will attract more people to the job.

“While it’s very beneficial for folks who are currently in the job and those who have left, young 18, 19 year-olds who are joining the job aren’t necessarily thinking about their health as much as you know, the fact that the compensation is not adequate for all the sacrifices that we have to make,” he said.